Various peripheral devices have been developed over the years to allow a user to make copies of a source document. A source document may be printed on, for example, a sheet of paper, a transparency, or other print medium. A source document may include, for example, text, graphics, drawings, photographs, and other items. The basic reproduction process involves positioning or passing the source document over a scanning surface so that the image on the document can be captured for electronic or hardcopy reproduction. However, this straightforward process in not so simple when the source document of interest is large-format. This is particularly true when the large-format source documents are rolled for storage.
Common peripheral devices for generating these copies of source documents are scanners and digital copiers. Scanners and digital copiers are often packaged as a single unit that can create either hard copies or electronic files of the source documents. Such packages are sometimes referred to as scanner/copiers. As used herein, the terms “scanner,” “copier,” “scanner/copier” and “document reproduction machine” may be used interchangeably to refer to an apparatus that can create an electronic or hardcopy of a source document.
Scanners and copiers are available in a variety of sizes, from small hand-held scanners to industrial large-format scanners/copiers. Large-format scanners and copiers are designed to scan and/or copy pages that are, for example, up to sixty inches wide. An example of a large-format scanner or copier (100) is shown in FIG. 1. Large-format pages may include architectural drawings, blueprints, maps, signs, posters, etc.
Although large-format scanners and copiers are convenient for creating electronic and hard copies, they are often quite difficult to use. One of the difficulties with large-format scanners and copiers is keeping source documents straight and flat as they are fed into and out of the scanner or copier.
Most large-format scanners and copiers move the source document forward and back through the machine as various portions of the document are scanned. This ability to move the document both forward and backward through the scanner helps ensure that a quality copy is obtained. However, as the source document is reversed back through the scanner, the document can often become jammed or stuck, especially when the source document has been rolled for storage. The jamming most often occurs when the source document (102) is passed back through the scanner. As the source document curls, it often gets caught on a lip (106) of a scanner lid (108). Therefore, it often requires one or more users to hold the source documents flat and straight, and to monitor the reproduction closely to end up with a high-quality reproduction. FIG. 1 illustrates the tendency of a typical source document (102) to curl away from a surface (104) of the scanner or copier (100). This curling may cause a jam or interfere with the production of a quality copy.